WHEN I FIRST “met” Scott “Scooter” Hoffbeck, the 61-year-old rural Faribault man was lying motionless in the street outside my home severely-injured following an August 26 car-motorcycle crash. His damaged Harley Davidson motorcycle lay nearby.
Now, just over two months later, Scooter continues to heal and regain strength at a local care center. He spent weeks at St. Marys, a Mayo Clinic hospital in Rochester, some of that in ICU. His injuries included a broken pelvis requiring surgery, internal bleeding, a severe head wound, traumatic brain injury and no movement on his right side.
When Scooter was transported by ground ambulance directly to the Faribault airport and airlifted to the Rochester trauma center, none of us at the crash scene knew whether he would survive. Miraculously, he did.
And this Sunday, November 1, the community will gather from 1-6 p.m. at Faribault American Legion Post 43, 112 Fifth St. NE, to support Scooter at a benefit fundraiser. All proceeds will go toward his medical expenses.
The event includes a silent auction raffle, food, bake sale and music by Tiger Ries, a Minnesota musician who performs classic rock, country, blues and ballads.
I’ll be at the benefit with my husband, Randy, who was recently honored along with passing motorist Paloma Sanchez, for rendering life-saving aid to Scooter at the crash site. I expect Scooter will be at Sunday’s fundraiser also just as he was at the Faribault Police Department award ceremony for Randy and Paloma.
To see Scooter for the first time several weeks ago proved especially emotional. Many of us were either crying or on the verge of tears. That included Scooter and his family who expressed their gratitude for life-saving actions. I look forward to seeing them again on Sunday.
When you’ve been through something like this, you pause to consider how life can change just like that. One minute all is fine and the next you’re fighting for your life or trying to save a life.
Thankfully, Scooter remembers nothing of the crash. The body has a way of protecting itself from trauma. And this was trauma for all of us involved and for his family processing the aftermath.
In all of this, I’ve witnessed the strength of the human spirit and the value of family and community love, support and prayers. Through a GoFundMe, $11,055 of a $16K goal has been raised to help cover Scooter’s medical expenses. And now this Sunday, there’s a second opportunity to give.
This is not just about donating money to pay medical bills. This is also about uplifting, surrounding, supporting, caring, embracing and loving on a man who is grateful to be alive.
© Copyright 2026 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
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